Business process execution is often performed in workflow fashion, by routing a work product through a list of tasks assigned to resources. A typical example involves the fulfillment of a sales order, in which the order is placed, and then routed for the ordered product(s) to be pulled from inventory, followed by billing, shipping, and so forth. In a typical business, each of these activities is handled by a separate resource or group of resources, and the activities are primarily performed serially, since the initiation of one activity or task is usually dependent upon the successful completion of its immediate predecessor.
Existing enterprise workforce management solutions can handle the routing of such workflows. For example, if a computer network at an enterprise has become disabled, the enterprise manager may need a technician immediately. The enterprise manager telephones a customer service desk and the service desk operator uses an off-the-shelf workforce management solution to determine and confirm the availability of a suitable technician. The suitability of the technician can be determined based on the proximity of the technician to the disabled network or other criteria known in the art. The technician's schedule is updated on a server and the technician is sent a new work request with details about the computer network problem.
In many cases, the widespread availability and adoption of handheld or other portable computing devices, such as smartphones, has enabled mobile employees to perform some workflow tasks while in transit between locations or at any of a variety of locations which need not be specified. For example, an account manager can review and approve a contract, or a purchasing manager can approve a purchase order, while riding on a train using a smartphone. As the completion of these tasks is often highly time-dependent, the ability to execute them remotely and while on the move provides substantial benefits to a business. However, there are dangers inherent in allowing mobile employees to perform workflow tasks while in transit. For example, if a mobile employee is distracted by a workflow task on his or her smartphone while driving a car, the risk increases that the employee will be injured in a car accident and that his or her employer will be exposed to vicarious liability.